40 Ninth grade students and two transfer students have 3 days on a island to wipe each other out, only one can survive and if not they shall all die.
This controversial Japanese film is a real favourite of mine, a fascinating tale of human instinct for survival by any type of means. It has a really macabre atmosphere, where the tension and suspense never faults from the beginning to the end. While the pace of the film never lets up... well maybe there is two or three slow scenes of mushy melodrama- but that's when we learn what's going on in their heads and it doesn't disrupt the flow of sheer adrenaline that the film generates or even the sombre mood.
At times the dialogue is a bit corny and lame- but it didn't seem to bother me. The violence throughout is brutally shocking and adds in some funny black humour. You might enjoy the violence- but when you get to know the characters we then feel sorrow for the students as friendships are stretched, some going mad, some taking their own lives, some bonding & scheming and others out to kill- but nothing can stop the paranoia creeping into this game of survival.
Excellent performances from Tatsuya Fujiwara and Aki Maeda as the two young lovers Shuya and Nuriko that stick together, Masanobu Ando the quiet cold blooded killer Kiriyama and Taro Yamamoto as the helpful but mysterious transfer student Kawada and there is Takeshi Kitanoas as Beat Takeshi their year 7 ex-school teacher that looks over them on the island.
The music played throughout the film is basically classical, so it gives it a disturbing vibe- as if it's in the spirit of the game.
This film could be classed as a bitter satire on today's Japanese society, but it's not to be taken too seriously, though there is more to it then students killing each other... could you kill your best friend?
5/5
This controversial Japanese film is a real favourite of mine, a fascinating tale of human instinct for survival by any type of means. It has a really macabre atmosphere, where the tension and suspense never faults from the beginning to the end. While the pace of the film never lets up... well maybe there is two or three slow scenes of mushy melodrama- but that's when we learn what's going on in their heads and it doesn't disrupt the flow of sheer adrenaline that the film generates or even the sombre mood.
At times the dialogue is a bit corny and lame- but it didn't seem to bother me. The violence throughout is brutally shocking and adds in some funny black humour. You might enjoy the violence- but when you get to know the characters we then feel sorrow for the students as friendships are stretched, some going mad, some taking their own lives, some bonding & scheming and others out to kill- but nothing can stop the paranoia creeping into this game of survival.
Excellent performances from Tatsuya Fujiwara and Aki Maeda as the two young lovers Shuya and Nuriko that stick together, Masanobu Ando the quiet cold blooded killer Kiriyama and Taro Yamamoto as the helpful but mysterious transfer student Kawada and there is Takeshi Kitanoas as Beat Takeshi their year 7 ex-school teacher that looks over them on the island.
The music played throughout the film is basically classical, so it gives it a disturbing vibe- as if it's in the spirit of the game.
This film could be classed as a bitter satire on today's Japanese society, but it's not to be taken too seriously, though there is more to it then students killing each other... could you kill your best friend?
5/5